For hundreds of years grains have been at the foundation of human civilization.  Many families grew small plots to sustain themselves and their livestock.  Humanity uses grains in an astonishing variety of things.  Today, many of those grains have been lost to time and giant agricultural business.  However, we believe these grains to be important to those who wish to bring back the wholesome goodness and the independence grains can provide to a family farm.

• There is nothing like growing and grinding your own wheat.  Bread never tasted so good.

• Flax for omega 3, oil for paint or spinning into linen!
• Oats for animal feed, breads, oatmeal, etc…
• How about the ability to feed your livestock right from your own farm?  100% organic!  No more expensive trips to the feed store!
• The most important thing is this grain is not patented or genetically modified.  Meaning you can save the seed from year to year and feed your family.

Sustainable Seed Co. Grain Restoration Project

Our goal is to bring back many of the forgotten varieties of long ago and see just how well they will perform for us today. There are many questions to be answered.

• Many grains fell out of favor because of lack of disease and pest resistance.  An interesting question is do the diseases and pests still exist in sufficient quantity to pose a problem today to the heirloom grains?

• How well will these grains perform in our climate?  How will they be affected in these years of global warming?
• Many grains fell out of favor when mechanical harvesters came along.  If we are still willing to harvest small plots by hand would this be worth the effort?
• Will these grains meet our needs?  What were the historical uses?  Breads, soups, animal feed, beverages, etc…
• What yields will we get and is it worth growing these grains VS the modern counter parts?

Some of these questions we already have answers to.  For instance there is nowhere else I know of where I can get Jet Barley.  Why you ask is Jet Barley so important.  It has higher protein levels than most wheat.  It performs very well in our climate with splendid yields.  Originally it is from Ethiopia and very drought tolerant.  However, we weren’t sure it could survive our cool-wet nights, but it has done fantastic.  The old stalks are great livestock feed or green manure.  Jet Barley also makes a wonderful addition to any soup with a rich, nutty flavor.  We’ve even soaked it and thrown it on salads for that same nutty flavor.  I would have never know about Jet Barley if John Jeavons hadn’t grown it years ago in Mendocino County.  He would have never had it without the USDA seed bank.  It is now unavailable at his seed company, but I want to bring it back to share with others.  This is a good example of this project.

Grains are hard work and required many hands to grow and process, but I believe this brought together a form of community now gone in our culture.  I have a romantic notion to return to a simpler time when a man counted on another man for his well being.  Petty differences seem to evaporate when you know you must count on your neighbor for your very livelihood.

Then there is a level of health and independence that surpasses anything I can get in the store.  If I grow my own grain I know that it was grown 100% organic.  I know it is not genetically altered.  I known that it will be there when I need it if times get tough.  My whole farm becomes more self-sufficient, more sustainable.  It is a closed loop.  I grow the grain, it feeds me and my chickens for instance.  That very manure and straw from the coop go right back to fertilize the next grain crop.

I have no delusions, my back can tell you the story of working hard in the field all day and just how hard it is.  My ego can tell you how disappointed I am when I loose a harvest to the weather, but despite that I come back to doing this every year.  Each year I learn more, each year we here at Sustainable Seed Co. figure out just what grains may help sustain us in this ever changing future.

Availability of Heirloom Grains

For a number of years to come we will have a VERY limited availability of the quantity of these grains.  Why?  Many times the seed sample we get is 30 seeds or so.  It takes years to build up enough just to plant a 1/2 acre. The reason we are offering these grains for sale is so that you can get a SAMPLE and start them yourself.   Please don’t ask for larger quantities because we do not have them. Let us know of your success stories and what grains you are growing.   Please send us your stories and photos!